Until now, annual fishing possibilities have been laid down in a regulation
proposed by the Commission in late November – after receiving scientific
advice in mid-October - and voted on in the December Council of Fisheries
Ministers. The result was a process which left little time for consultation with
stakeholders, or for in-depth debate on underlying principles guiding the way
the proposed fishing possibilities were arrived at.

In its Communication on improving consultation on EU fisheries management
adopted on 24 May 2006, the Commission undertook to make a number of significant
changes to this process, so as to relieve the pressure on end-of-year
discussions and involve stakeholders more closely in the development of policy,
in particular at the level of long-term strategy. The main proposal is to move
to a long-term management perspective based on multi-annual plans. At the same
time, it was also decided to issue an annual policy statement, well in advance
of the TACs and quota proposal, as a basis for discussion and consultation.
Since such a statement would not depend on the most recent possible scientific
data and forecasts, it could be issued quite early in the year. The Commission
plans in future to adopt its annual policy statement in April. However, rather
than wait till next year to inaugurate the new timetable, it seemed useful to
adopt the first such statement already this year in September.

Who will be consulted?

The broad lines of the ideas contained in the Communication published today
have already been discussed informally with stakeholders and with the Member
States. The Commission now looks forward to receiving the written opinions of
the Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) and of the Advisory Committee on Fisheries
and Aquaculture (ACFA). The Commission will also be consulting with the Member
States, with the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee on Fisheries
(STECF), and with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
(ICES).

What are the benefits of this new approach?

By issuing this policy statement in advance of receiving the scientific
advice on which decisions for the coming year will be based, the Commission
hopes to refocus attention away from arguments over every single stock, towards
the central issue of how European fisheries should be managed in the long-term
to ensure environmental, economic and social sustainability.

By categorising fish stocks into a small number of groups, and proposing a
coherent approach to establishing fishing opportunities for all the stocks
within each group, the Commission is also establishing a new guiding principle
which should ensure greater fairness and transparency, as well as decisions
which make consistent biological sense.

How will the Commission deal with each of these categories?

Stocks exploited consistently with maximum sustainable yield: the
Commission will propose TACs which will keep fishing mortality close to current
levels.

Stocks overexploited with respect to maximum sustainable yield but inside
safe biological limits: the Commission will propose TACs which ensure that
fishing mortality does not increase from their current levels.

Stocks outside safe biological limits: the Commission will set TACs
according to a rule based on the advice received from STECF on safe biological
limits. While trying to keep changes in TAC within the 15% limit, the Commission
will not do anything which would worsen the state of the stock in question.
Three sub-categories are treated separately: short-lived species, which
may require in-year adaptation of fishing possibilities; those whose life
cycle is so long that they are highly vulnerable to exploitation and require
special measures, such as deep-sea species; and stocks so far outside safe
biological limits as to require recovery measures.

Stocks subject to long-term plans, including recovery plans: the
Commission will propose TACs in accordance with the plans in force. For those
for which long-terms plans have been proposed but not yet adopted by Council,
the proposed TACs will be consistent with the proposals concerned.

Short-lived species: in-year reviews will be proposed for sandeel in
the North Sea, anchovy in the Bay of Biscay, and sprat in the North Sea. Norway
pout is more dependent on autumn data, but an in-year review may also be
included in the proposal.

Stocks whose status is unknown but which are not at high biological
risk: the Commission will apply the precautionary approach, and propose TACs
which prevent the expansion of fisheries in situations of high uncertainty.

The Communication also identifies a number of special cases,
including cod stocks in the Baltic Sea and those covered by the recovery plans,
deep-sea species, mixed fisheries, nephrops stocks, blue whiting, and species
not previously covered by TACs. Baltic cod stocks are covered by the proposal
for Baltic TACs tabled on 5 September, where fishing possibilities are set in
line with the multi-annual plan tabled last July, and a separate proposal
covering deep sea species will be tabled later this month.

In the case of those cod stocks falling under the recovery plan, there had
been no detectable recovery as of December 2005. For 2007, the Commission will
propose TACs in line with the provisions of the plan if STECF is able to provide
the quantitative estimates of stock size and fishing mortality required to apply
the plan. If no such estimates can be supplied, the Commission will propose a
reduction of 25% in TAC levels for cod, and a reduction of 25% in fishing effort
in mixed fisheries which catch cod.

Do the references to Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) mean the Commission
is already seeking to manage EU fish stocks for MSY?

The Member States committed themselves to maintaining or restoring fish
stocks to levels that can produce at MSY no later than 2015 at the World Summit
on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in 2002. In July this year the
Commission published a Communication intended to launch a debate with
stakeholders and with the Member States on how this commitment might be
implemented in Community fisheries policy. Until this debate has been concluded,
and a final decision adopted by the Member States, the Commission will seek not
to propose TACs or other management measures which would contradict the
commitment made by the Member States, i.e. it will not set fishing possibilities
which would lead to an increase in fishing mortality levels where these are
already above MSY.